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Texas A&M Football

A&M's starting QB vs. South Carolina likely a gametime decision

October 28, 2024
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Click HERE to view Texas A&M’s Monday press conference.


Believe it or not — and most probably don’t —Texas A&M’s starting quarterback vs. South Carolina on Saturday remains a gametime decision.

Aggies football coach Mike Elko suggested as much on Monday at his weekly press conference.

Elko did not commit to starting redshirt freshman Marcel Reed or junior Conner Weigman, but indicated gamesmanship may be involved.

Earlier this season, Elko frequently said the starting quarterback would not be announced until game time.

“I think the possibility is there for a lot of things,” Elko said. “We’re going to look at this week and kind of figure out what we think is the right thing for us. What we think gives us the best chance to win.

“It’s probably too early in our mind to make that decision. And even if we did, we probably wouldn’t tell you right now, anyway.”

“I think the possibility is there for a lot of things. We’re going to look at this week and kind of figure out what we think is the right thing for us. What we think gives us the best chance to win. It’s probably too early in our mind to make that decision. And even if we did, we probably wouldn’t tell you right now, anyway.”
- A&M head coach Mike Elko

Weigman started the previous three games, but struggled vs. LSU. The Aggies trailed 17-7 when Elko brought in Reed midway through the third quarter.

Reed, who had started victories over Florida, Bowling Green and Arkansas while Weigman was sidelined with a sprained shoulder, ran for three touchdowns and led the Aggies to scores on five consecutive possessions in a come-from-behind 38-23 victory over LSU.

“We just want to see how this week plays out (in practice),” Elko said. “Kind of see what it gives us the best shot to go in this environment and be successful.”

Reed would seemingly give the Aggies the best shot. Although Weigman may be considered the superior passer, Reed has thrown more touchdown passes (6-3) and fewer interceptions (4-0).

South Carolina is sixth in the SEC in pass defense. The Gamecocks also have snatched 10 interceptions. They’ve gotten at least two interception in three of their four victories. They had one in the other.

South Carolina also is second in the SEC with 28 sacks. Therefore, the more mobile Reed, who has rushed for 288 yards, would appear more capable of avoiding the pass rush.

But Elko clearly hasn’t lost faith in Weigman, who last week completed just 6-of-18 passes for 64 yards.

“I think — and he’d tell you this — he gets sped up sometimes,” Elko said of Weigman. “His clock starts moving faster when he’s not having success. His eyes are going through the progressions a little too quick. He’s getting the ball out of his hand a little to quick. I think we saw that a couple of throws.

“Or he rushes his mechanics a little bit and the ball sails on him.”

Jamie Maury
Against LSU, Marcel Reed became the first Aggie QB to rush for three or more touchdowns in a game since Trevor Knight did so vs. Tennessee in 2008.

Elko pointed out Weigman is still relatively inexperienced even though he’s a junior.

Weigman started four games as a true freshman in 2022. Last year he started four before sustaining a season-ending foot injury. This year he sustained a sprained shoulder in the season-opening loss to Notre Dame and missed three games.

He returned to complete 82 percent of his passes and throw for 276 yards in a 41-10 victory over Missouri. But he wasn’t sharp in a 34-24 win over Mississippi State before struggling vs. LSU.

“He still has a ton of growth and still has a ton of repetition that he needs and experience that he needs to gather to just be able to consistently go through the progressions at the pace and speed that you need to,” Elko said. “Everything in the passing game is about your eyes and feet being on time with the wideouts. If the wideouts aren’t there that’s a problem. If your eyes and feet aren’t there that’s a problem.

“Sometimes our wideouts are a little too slow getting where they need to be. I think sometimes Conner is a little too fast as he goes through his progressions.”

Weigman has completed just 59.6 percent of his passes (62-of-109). That’s a tad higher than Reed, who has completed 55.6 percent (45-of-81).

Elko acknowledged improvement is needed for the No. 10 Aggies, who lead the SEC standings, to win the conference championship.

“We have to get our passing game working in a rhythm that it can be more productive and more efficient for us if we are to go down the road the way we want to,” he said.

Bisontis out

Zoe Kelton, TexAgs
Prior to missing Texas A&M’s meeting with LSU this past weekend, Chase Bisontis had started all previous seven games this season.

Sophomore left guard Chase Bisontis, who missed the LSU game because of an injured left ankle, won’t play vs. South Carolina.

“He’s probably going to be out for a couple of weeks until we get him back,” Elko said. “We’ll see where that progress is coming out of the bye week.”

After facing South Carolina this weekend the Aggies will have an open week. They face New Mexico State at Kyle Field on Nov. 16.

Freshman TJ Shanahan replaced Bisontis in the starting lineup vs. LSU. Kam Dewberry also saw action at left guard.

Penalties, penalties

Elko acknowledged that penalties are becoming a huge concern.

The Aggies average 68.9 yards in penalties, which is the fourth-highest total in the SEC.

Last week they were penalized 10 times for 101 yards.

 “The penalties are a concern,” Elko said. 
“We addressed it again this morning. We continue to address it. We address it every day.

“Until you get it fixed and corrected you’re not doing in the right way. As a staff we’ve got to look at ourselves and figure out ways (to fix it).”

Elko said he was particularly frustrated by pre-snap and post-snap infractions.

“You’re going to play football in the SEC, there’s going to be holding penalties, there’s going to be a defensive PI (pass interference),” he said. “Those things are going to happen.

“Our pre-snap procedural penalties on offense and our post-snap penalties are going to kill us. We’ve got to do a better job as a staff making sure the players understand that. We certainly try but we’re not getting it done.”

No shots taken

Eyebrows raised on Saturday night when Elko made a statement about how he sells the culture of his program to recruits.

“We’re very honest,” he said. “We’re very open. And this is a real program. It’s not fake. It’s not a politician running this program, talking fast and BSing everybody. This is a real program. And for all the recruits out there, this is a real place. And if you want to be really good at football, this is a really good place to be.”

Some interpreted that as a criticism of former A&M coach Jimbo Fisher, who was well-known for his fast talking. Others thought Elko was referring to LSU coach Brian Kelly, for whom Elko once worked with as defensive coordinator at Notre Dame.

Obviously irked by those assumptions, Elko made it clear he was not referring to anyone directly.

“In the postgame (press conference) I was asked to give a synopsis on how we sell culture to our program,” Elko said. “In doing so I made a statement that seemed like a very benign statement that somehow managed to be taken as a direct shot at people.

“You guys (local media) gave me multiple opportunities in nine months to take shots at people and I’ve never done it.

“I have nothing but respect for coach Fisher. I’ve said nothing but positive things about coach Fisher. I’m the head coach at Texas A&M because of coach Fisher. I appreciate who he is. Everything he’s done. For anybody in the media to think that’s what I was doing post-LSU … it’s asinine.

“For it to be about any other head coach who gave me and opportunity and hired me. That’s not who I am. I’ve never been that person. It’s ridiculous.”


 

NOTES

  • Players of the game vs. LSU as named by the A&M coaches were (offensive linemen) tackles Trey Zuhn III and Dametrious Crownover, (defensive line) Shemar Turner and DJ Hicks, (offensive player of the game) quarterback Marcel Reed, (defensive player of the game) nickelback BJ Mayes and (special teams) punter Tyler White. Elko also praised running back Amari Daniels, who led the Aggies in rushing with 91 yards.
  • Reed was also named SEC Freshman of the Week, while White was SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for the third time. White averaged 48.4 yards on five punts. Four were killed inside the LSU 20-yard line.
  • Elko was named the national coach of the week by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation.
Discussion from...

A&M's starting QB vs. South Carolina likely a gametime decision

12,741 Views | 29 Replies | Last: 20 days ago by John Cocktolstoy
redjalapeno-87
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"Weigman has completed just 59.6 percent of his passes (62-of-109). That's a tad higher than Reed, who has completed 55.6 percent (45-of-81)."

62 of 109 is 56.9% completion rate, not 59.6%. That is what ESPN stats show for CW in 2024.
big red dog
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Now you know why he's not an accountant
ahpetty33
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AG
No incentive for A&M to declare a starter, it is a good advantage to have to keep the opponent guessing
Aggie Michael
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AG
What makes you say Weigman is the better passer? All the stats show quite the opposite.

Weigman - 5 Starts
62-109 for 56.9% completion & 782 passing yards
7.2 yards per attempt
3 TDs (all passing); 4 INTs;
118.9 QBR (passer rating)
Rushing Yards: 98 (3.9 avg); Total yards: 880


Reed - 3 Starts
45-81 for 55.6% completion & 655 passing yards
7.2 yards per attempt
11 TDs (6 passing; 5 rushing); 0 INTs;
147.9 QBR (passer rating)
Rushing Yards: 288 (5.5 avg); Total yards: 943


By all indications, Reed is by far the better passing QB: more yards per attempt, better passer TDs to INT, same completion percentage, etc. Weigman also has 2 extra years under his belt plus 3 extra starts. Add in the full package (passing + running), its a no brainer.

You need to take an unbiased moneyball approach. Focus on the results. I don't see anything that supports your assertions.


LB12Diamond
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Dang, Weigman must be making a ton to not just state Reed is the starter by this point.
Aggie Michael
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Let's hope he's made the decision last weekend. Hopefully it's all a show to make it harder for south carolina to prepare for.

Besides, south carolina has a good secondary that can pick off QBs (Weigman). A running QB has a lot of benefits against SC so I doubt Weigman would start just because of that alone.

4
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LB12Diamond said:

Dang, Weigman must be making a ton to not just state Reed is the starter by this point.

Purely strategic. Forces South Carolina to split practice time preparing for two completely different styles of offensive play.
LB12Diamond
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Guys

I was just messing. Guess I need to always use the winking emoji.

Yes Michael, USC is a horrible matchup for Weigman. But I think Elko is going with Reed the rest of the year anyway and just using coach speak.
Aggie Dad 26
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4 said:

LB12Diamond said:

Dang, Weigman must be making a ton to not just state Reed is the starter by this point.

Purely strategic. Forces South Carolina to split practice time preparing for two completely different styles of offensive play.


Exactly. Twice as much to prepare for. I love it
angryocotillo
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"Against LSU, Marcel Reed became the first Aggie QB to rush for three or more touchdowns in a game since Trevor Knight did so vs. Tennessee in 2008."

Was that 2012?
DFCURT
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I'll say this after reviewing the game, CW could have been helped out a lot if WRs catch some well thrown balls; he did air mail some too. LSUs pass rush was devastating. CW did a reasonably good job in the pocket considering that kind of fire. He was F'd. Oline should be ashamed.

All that said, I think you have to start Reed. If what he did doesn't earn the start, WTF does?
spherical
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LB12Diamond said:

Dang, Weigman must be making a ton to not just state Reed is the starter by this point.


I still don't get these types of comments. There is no gm or owner worried about salary differential peeking over the coaches shoulder here.
Shoefly!
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angryocotillo said:

"Against LSU, Marcel Reed became the first Aggie QB to rush for three or more touchdowns in a game since Trevor Knight did so vs. Tennessee in 2008."

Was that 2012?

14 I believe.
LB12Diamond
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AG
You from now on will be know as spherical Drax.
Ag in ATL
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redjalapeno-87 said:

"Weigman has completed just 59.6 percent of his passes (62-of-109). That's a tad higher than Reed, who has completed 55.6 percent (45-of-81)."

62 of 109 is 56.9% completion rate, not 59.6%. That is what ESPN stats show for CW in 2024.



It may have just been a typo. In any event, 56.9% is still a tad higher than 55.6%.
beerad12man
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Weigman has shown far more than Reed overall in the passing game. When he's on, he's a significantly better passer. Using simple stats when not even factoring in situation, opponent, etc., is no where near as reliable as what the film actually shows.

That said, Weigman's problem has been consistency. At his best, he's a better passer. At his worst, he doesn't have the same legs to fall back on and Reed becomes by far the better option to move the football.

While Weigman has been frustrating in 2 big games against ND and LSU, Reed scored 26 and 21 against Bowling Green and Arkansas. Those are two even worse performances, IMHO. Reed against a team that schemes for him looks nothing Reed against LSU in that 2nd half. It's an entirely different ballgame.

There's a decent chance we need both, and it's because Reed is the better runner and gives us a whole new dimension to our offense. When he's on, Conner is a better passer by far. He gives us something we don't have in Reed, who is more of a 1 read and tuck and run QB. When he's not on, Conner brings us nothing, unfortunately.

So again, there's a decent chance we need both throughout the rest of this season if we want to win the sec. But no one credible would try to argue with a straight face that the film shows that Reed is a better passer. You can use whatever stats you wish. It's not a very good argument to fall back on. Just watch the film. Particularly when a team prepares for and game plans for Reed. (And FWIW, I hope Reed throws for 300 and 4 TDs against SC and makes my post look silly, but thus far, he hasn't shown as much as a passer as CW)
beerad12man
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Dp
beerad12man
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LB12Diamond said:

Dang, Weigman must be making a ton to not just state Reed is the starter by this point.
Or it could be that both still give us something the other does not.

People seem to forget that Reed put up 26 (33 was with a defensive score), 26, and 21 offensive points against three pretty mediocre to arguably bad defenses. We got through that 3 game stretch mostly with defense, and Reed became less and less effective each start with more film and time to prepare for him. He was okay, but really wasn't effective passing the ball at all most of Bowling Green and Arkansas games. Little to no doubt Conner scores more against all 3 of those defenses.

CW stunk against ND and the 1st half against LSU, but put up 41 and 34 in his 2 other SEC games. We still score more when Conner is on than with Reed. Conner at his best is better than Reed. Reed brings another dimension that Conner can't, and when Conner is off, we are really off and our offense hits rock bottom.

When teams prepare for him and game plan for Reed, our offense is very limited. It worked perfectly against LSU. Bringing him in without any game prep for him. That isn't guaranteed to translate the next game. He's still very limited in the passing game. No matter how much some try to convince themselves they are similar passers. They are not. Conner has shown far more when he's on, but the problem is, he isn't "on" enough. Which has led to Reed being able to creep into the conversation. Regardless, even when Conner is "off", you have to gameplan for them very differently.

I might argue that Reed is better off being a 4-6 series a game QB that isn't the opponents main focus than he is a full time, multiple week in a row starter. I don't think he is anywhere near as effective against LSU if they prepped for him all week, but that is lost on a lot of people who don't understand how hard it is to make that adjustment in game from CW to Marcel Reed.

Things have worked out very well overall so far, and our staff knows far more about what they have at QB than texags. They know that Conner can give their offense something Reed can't, and vice versa.

Again, there's a real good chance we need both the remainder of this season, and I have no idea why some go all in on one over the other, and can't see that.
LB12Diamond
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We have Drax number two in the building!!!
bslater07
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Shoefly! said:

angryocotillo said:

"Against LSU, Marcel Reed became the first Aggie QB to rush for three or more touchdowns in a game since Trevor Knight did so vs. Tennessee in 2008."

Was that 2012?

14 I believe.
'16
spherical
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LB12Diamond said:

You from now on will be know as spherical Drax.


Ok but you have to explain it to me like I'm 5. Then try 4.
Shoefly!
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Oh man, you don't plug the QB's in like EA Sports does?
Bob Knights Paper Hands
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We should really mess with SCar and start Bisontis at QB.

They'll. Never. See. It. Coming.
PyriteAg
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Bob Knights Paper Hands said:

We should really mess with SCar and start Bisontis at QB.

They'll. Never. See. It. Coming.
How about Scourton? Everyone's saying he's such an amazing player, so what's Elko doing by not starting him at QB?
John Cocktolstoy
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PyriteAg said:

Bob Knights Paper Hands said:

We should really mess with SCar and start Bisontis at QB.

They'll. Never. See. It. Coming.
How about Scourton? Everyone's saying he's such an amazing player, so what's Elko doing by not starting him at QB?


And they would have a really hard time adjusting in game according to some on here!!!
Second Hardest Workin Man on Texags
dcg4403
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Good. Keep all the opposing coaches guessing. It is quite brilliant.

Also keeps both these QBs are their toes, fighting hard for the starting role. Talk about motivation.

Love it. In Elko I trust.
Iraq2xVeteran
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There is no incentive for Mike Elko to declare a starter because it keeps opposing defenses guessing and motivates both of our quarterbacks to compete for the starting position every week.
Drundel
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I doubt we'll see Weigman start. SC is one the best sacking team in SEC, do we want them after Weigman who can't move/escape? Or let them blitz on Reed who can burn them with his legs.



------
http://www.drundel.com/

Class of 2000
John Cocktolstoy
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I think SC is a lot like LSU in defense. Remember this awesome defense held powerhouse Old Dominion to 19 points and their offense scored 23 for the win. What I am saying is they are not that good, but have improved every game. Their games against LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss are tough losses. And it shows they have quite a bit of talent but just cannot get over the hump. They remind me a lot of what our teams have been in the past "spoilers". We need to play up to our ability and not play down to anyone anymore. Period.
Second Hardest Workin Man on Texags
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